2018 Golden Owl Vancouver Categories

We are excited to announce our categories for 2018! We have added some new categories and tweaked some previous ones for 2018. Do you have an idea for a category? Email us at mail@goldenowlawards.com and maybe we’ll use it for our 2019 show. 😉

BEST COMEDY EXPERIENCE

CHUCKLE. ATMOSPHERE. TICKLISHNESS.
Laughing is the greatest cure and Vancouverites need their cures whether they’re complaining about summer being too hot, the Canucks always rebuilding, or too much rain in the fall. These comedy spots and troupes know exactly what spot to tickle and make us smile.

BEST COCKTAIL EXPERIENCE

KNOWLEDGE. ATMOSPHERE. GREAT COCKTAIL.
Whether out for a simple tipple or a well crafted cocktail, that is so much more than the sum of its parts, what is your first choice for a cocktail that makes you swoon.
Lounges, bars, hotels are all welcome.

BEST FOOD EXPERIENCE

BEST BRUNCH EXPERIENCE

DELICIOUSNESS. CLEANLINESS. HANGOVER APPROVED.
After breakfast, before lunch or perhaps there’s a more technical explanation for it, but we’re wanting that spot where the lineup isn’t too long, the service is swift, and the selection isn’t too overwhelming. Are we dreaming or…

BEST BREWERY EXPERIENCE

KNOWLEDGE. ATMOSPHERE. GREAT BEER.
It was a craze, but now it’s a full blown obsession and every beer nerd and their friends is looking for the latest, juiciest, haziest, North Eastern IPA along with some salty beer snacks and some crisp craft beer gossip. What brewery ticks all the hops.

BEST SERVICE EXPERIENCE

CLEANLINESS. PROFESSIONALISM. GOOD TIMES.
Whether it’s a single operator stand or a team that looks left and delivers the pass with service that makes you feel like Norm from Cheers, “Where everyone is your friend”.
Serves food and or Beer and Liquor

DJ EVENT OF THE YEAR

PERFORMED IN VANCOUVER. DJ. MIND-BLOWN.
That DJ that you’ve wanted to see for the past year, finally saw, and they delivered way beyond what you thought they would.

MANAGER OF THE YEAR

CURRENTLY EMPLOYED. PROFESSIONALISM. FRIENDLY FACE.
Those who bring a little extra magic into your life every time you see them and encourage you to part with a few more extra dollars then you intended.
Managers can be from restaurants, lounges, tasting lounges, pubs and nightclubs.

NIGHTCLUB OF THE YEAR

LOCATED IN VANCOUVER. QUALITY. OPEN FOR MORE THAN A YEAR.
The nightclub that never lets you down and consistently brings in the greatest acts from around the world, or simply the GVRD.

HOSPITALITY GROUP OF THE YEAR

SERVICE. PROFESSIONALISM. SURPRISE.
What Hospitality group delivered surprises that kept you wondering what was next, consistency that kept you coming back, and delivered it all without the overbearing of a giant corporate entity.

SOCIAL EVENT OF THE YEAR

FUN. SOCIAL. CULTURAL.
A great gathering of people that isn’t based around an entertainer, but around the straightforward assembly of a great group of people that laugh, cry and enjoy the company of persons, more than their phone…

BEST ATMOSPHERE

DESIGN. CROWD. DETAILS.
Well designed venues are cropping up everywhere, but we’re looking for something a bit more… Atmosphere… When everything, and we mean everything, from the design, to the crowd, to the little details that make you simply go “Ahhhhhhhhh”.

BEST BARTENDING PERSONALITY

CURRENTLY EMPLOYED IN VANCOUVER. PROFESSIONALISM. FUN.
That smile on their face and your drink magically appearing before you’ve uttered a word, we’re looking for THAT person who is always on and isn’t overt to being a little fussy once in awhile.

BEST LATE NIGHT LOUNGE

OPEN LATE (MIDNIGHT AT LEAST). COMFORT. ATMOSPHERE. GOOD TIMES.
Clubs aren’t the only late night hangout anymore, what’s your spot that keeps you out, popping a bottle if you’re over 19, or enjoying a negroni instead of succumbing to the always infamous “Netflix and chill”.

BEST HOTEL LOUNGE

ATTACHED TO A HOTEL. QUALITY. PROFESSIONALISM.
Hotels always bring a crowd, from the suave international set, to the hipster local. What hotel lounge brings together the world and provides cocktails, nibbles and entertainment that can’t be found on the street corner.

BEST NEW DESTINATION

OPENED IN THE PAST YEAR. STILL OPEN. CROWD.
Dozens of restaurants, breweries and clubs open up every year, but few have what it takes to truly make a mark on their respective industry. What do you consider the best new destination that has opened in the past year?

BEST SUBCULTURE VENUE

INDEPENDENT. CULTURE. TALENT.
Fiercely independent and always pushing the edge of what might be popular in Berlin, but hasn’t crossed the shores yet and sometimes feels like they’ve just stepped over the boundary, until you realize the following year that they actually knew what they were doing.

BEST LIVE MUSIC VENUE

FOCUS ON LIVE MUSIC. GOOD TIMES. ATMOSPHERE.
It may be a legendary spot, or it may be located down an alleyway. What was your favourite live music venue this past year, that made that live performance just that much better…

BEST PUB

SOLID BREWS. GOOD TIMES. ATMOSPHERE.
The hangouts be changing and pubs received a new lease on life when craft beer became a thang, and adults wanted to be out late, like after 10pm, yet didn’t want to hear chainsaws, lasers, and one continuous song for two hours… Which pub keeps you coming back, trying a new beer and hanging with friends, like real friends, not Ross, Monica and Chandler.

BREAKOUT ARTIST OF THE YEAR

PERFORMING ARTIST. LIVES IN VANCOUVER. ENROUTE TO STARDOM.
He/She is having their “moment” as a Artist and rising to the new elite ranks of Vancouver’s DJs, Singers or Rappers. Be it fan support on a local or global level, record sales or youtube downloads, nothing will hold them back now.